Comic relief

Credit: Christopher Evans

Koji Uehara’s historic dominance is really only half the fun. We all know how amazingly the right-hander has transformed the uncertainty of a closerless ninth into a sure thing.

But Uehara has been one of a kind in the clubhouse, too, seamlessly integrating into a roster with only one other Japanese player — pitcher Junichi Tazawa — on the strength of an infectious personality and off-the-wall sense of humor.